


How Did I Get Here?

by DarkLikeMySoul



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Description of Injuries, Female Eren Yeager, Multi, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Short Eren Yeager, Tall Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-14
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-07-14 23:26:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7195541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkLikeMySoul/pseuds/DarkLikeMySoul
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Having recently received her license to practice medicine, Eren picks a seemingly sweet small town to practice her skills. What better way to pay off school loans than a hospital more than willing to do so? </p><p>In the end, she finds the cost of her stay to be far more expensive than she could ever bring herself to believe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Most Unfortunate of Welcomes

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!
> 
> Soo... this is actually the first fic that I ever wrote that I ended up taking down. I'm going back and editing, the plot should still be the same(hopefully) and so I decided to repost it here. 
> 
> Thank you to the wonderful anon that told me he/she/they enjoyed this fic and wondered were it went. 
> 
> Tags will be updated as we go so please keep an eye. There will be NO rape/non-con or MCD.

There are moments in our lives when the world stops for a fraction of a second leaving us to think, how the hell did I get here? 

 

Right now, this that moment. I’m flooring it, pedal to the metal willing the car to give me all that it has. Gravel and dirt fly behind me leaving a trail of cloud dust, unable to see anything beyond that. A roaring engine, my heart beating and the muffled breathing of my injured husband are the only sounds I hear. 

 

How the fuck did I get here? 

 

I’m driving, pushing the car to its breaking point. I’ve got a handgun tucked into the garter beneath my dress, a husband struggling to stay alive and $100, 000 in cash as my way out. 

 

I’m driving, and I don’t know where the hell I’m going. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

One year ago in July

 

July 2 had marked the first day of me being a ‘real’ doctor. When I say real doctor, I don’t mean that I had spent the previous years playing pretend, not it mean that it was my first _real_ job as a physician. I had applied for work at the tiny Trost Hospital located in an equally small town of Shiganshina. 

 

They accepted me for the position almost immediately; it seemed that as long as you had the letters "MD" tacked at the end of your name they were willing to give you the damn job. That’s how I found myself nursing a cup of coffee sitting behind a desk. They scheduled me into a 12-hour shift, much like they did to every emergency room doc. Considering that it was a small town, I didn’t expect a lot of action to come in. I wanted to see the blood and guts but felt loads better knowing that someone’s life wasn't actually on the line. 

My inner musings broke apart when a nursed strolled to the physician’s station and handed me a chart. Just stating, “Male patient, 36 years old with a wound that requires stitching.” I grabbed the chart, flipping over the first page to review the vital signs. I lifted my head to ask a few more questions, only to find that I'm oddly alone. Most often the nurses wait by to see if I had any further questions, but this guy seemed to be in a rush. 

 

Seeing as I would have no one to answer my questions, I settled for just asking the patient directly instead. I rap my knuckles on the door before pressing forward and announcing my presence in the patient’s room. 

 

“Hi! My name is Dr. Eren Yeager,heard you have a nice wound that needs some stitching?” I say while holding my hand out in his direction. Rather than receiving a response, I receive a look that makes me feel like a first-year medical student all over again. I felt stupid and childish for my over wild antics, so I set to work. 

 

A quick wash of my hands and found some gloves to use as I began to inspect the wound located on his left leg. The injury sat closer to the ankle and from the bruising and dried out edges I could tell it’s a few hours old, if not older. It still was something that could be quickly patched up and held together with a few steri-strips. 

 

“Want to tell me why it took you so long to come in for a gunshot wound?” Words were slipping out, allowing my curiosity to best me. 

 

Again I’m met with silence. Everything school has taught me yelled at me to keep pressing to find the root of the problem. But the bigger part of me, the one that grew up on the wrong side of the tracks knew to keep my mouth shut. 

 

I quickly began to stitch, working quickly to be free of the overwhelming silence. It had been years since this sense of uneasiness washed over my body, and I would do anything to will it away. 

 

 

Thankfully, the repetitive motion of bringing two pieces of flesh together was enough to distract me momentarily. 

 

After I finished up, placing a few steri-strips across the wound to make sure it would keep closed. I didn’t wait to have completed my stitching when I started up my rant regarding proper care and stitching removal. I was no fool, knew that this man knew more about gunshot wound cleaning than your average citizen, but legally I had to go through the spiel. 

 

I stepped towards the sink, removing my bloodied gloves to wash my hands when I see him stand up and walk towards the door. How I had failed to notice his appearance before was beyond me. He had a unique look to him, pale skin that contrasted with his jet black hair shaped into an undercut. Cheekbones were pronounced, giving him a look that reeked of authority, but it was the piercing gray eyes that captivated you. Gray, such a dull-less color, but his held some flicker of emotion that brought them to life. 

 

Knowing that I had been caught staring, I couldn’t will myself to look away. Even then, he opened his mouth, and a deep rich voice filled the room. 

 

“Never ask a question that you’re not sure you want the answer to.” 

 

The shock of hearing him speak for the first time allowed him enough time to leave the room. After a moment, anger filled me; his words spoke as a threat and warning to me. In what world did anyone think it was ok to treat someone that way? Washing my hands with more anger than necessary a single thought floated through my mind for a brief moment, this town was not like typical small towns. 

 

 

 

As time passed, the days became routine, and soon I forgot the man with gray eyes. The hospital staff welcomed me, sometimes being overly kind and generous as if overcompensating. Being the new girl in town, I refused to question the act of kindness, especially when my job became much easier. 

 

Although I spent the majority of my time at the hospital, I made it my mission to go out into town on my days off. The town itself was small enough to feel homey but still everyone kept to their own during they day. 

 

I recognized a few faces here and there, and though I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched, I thought nothing of it. Surely they weren’t there for me, solely coincidence I would tell myself. The words meant to comfort me, but the more those faces become painstakingly familiar, the harder it became to believe my words. 

 

My paranoia came to a screeching halt a month into my arrival in Shiganshina. The weather started to change; the nights become cooler, and the sun began to set earlier in the day. I wanted to end my day off on a good note by going on a run, an easy way to relax before my shift the next morning. 

 

I slipped on my light running jacket before heading out for the night. The route I took never varied because I did not yet trust myself not to get lost in the small town. With the first few steps of my run, anxiety settled in my stomach like a pit of restless snakes. I blamed it on the exceptionally night, the lack of moonlight as the phases changed. 

 

I raised the volume on my phone, running playlist going on loudly. Probably why I never saw it coming, not until my body was pressed up against the wall in an alley. The pressure of a cold barrel into my side, doing all I could to stay perfectly still. 

 

My body betrayed me, shivering with fear I refused to acknowledge. 

 

***BANG***

 

The sound of a gunshot echoed through the alleyway. 

 

 


	2. Indebted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life is all about a little tit for tat.

Standing perfectly still, the slight tremble of lip giving away the amount of anxiety and fear coursing through my veins. No pain, no signs of life flashing before my eyes. Is it shock that’s keeping me from realizing that I’ve been shot? 

 

Blinking slowly, my vision clears and my surroundings come back into view. The man that at one moment stood before me laid motionless on the floor. Bringing my vision back up, looking into the darkness of the alley I noticed a man standing with a gun raised and pointed in my direction. 

 

The small amount of light filtering in, I could make out piercing gray eyes. 

 

He saved my life; I know he did. Nothing could stop me from turning and running. In the back of my mind, I understood if he wanted me dead I wouldn’t be running right now. The sound of my feet slamming across the sidewalk reverberated loudly, heartbeat thrumming in my ears as I ran into my apartment.

 

Unlocking the door quickly, practically rolling into my apartment as I slam the door shut. Every lock was secured, deadbolt in place. The paranoia and fear from the scene so vivid in my eyes that I don’t even think that’s enough to hold anyone back. I could blame it on one too many action movies, or maybe it brought comfort to my mind, but I shoved the table against my door. Ran to every window securing them shut while closing every blind and drawing in the curtains. 

 

The night ended in my own personal fortress; just myself, my thoughts and the darkness.

 

* * *

 

My eyes opened after a night of restless sleep. I managed to push myself into a sitting position. As my brain began to fully function, I glanced around the room realizing I was completely engulfed in darkness. The door still locked with the table in place, every opening shut. It seemed that last night was not some odd figment of my imagination but rather something that actually happened. 

 

Forcing in large gulps of air, willing my heartbeat to settle down. My day would have to continue as normal, and I needed to get some amount of decent restful sleep before my night shift. 

 

I couldn’t bring myself to be at complete ease for the rest of the day. I doubted I would ever feel at complete ease. 

 

That night, I felt a little jumpier than usual. I looked put together with my long, chocolate colored hair flowing freely. I managed to pull together some loose curls into my hair and attempted a small amount of makeup. The eyeliner bringing out eyes that already stood out and the dark burgundy lipstick contrasting beautifully with my tan skin. 

 

Dressing up for work was completely unnecessary considering my hospital attired consisted of scrubs. No one could look attractive in those, regardless of what you may say.It definitely didn’t help that my scrubs had to be folded twice at the legs because of my short height.I just wanted to believe that if I looked good, would feel good, something I direly needed at the moment. 

 

I lost track of time, scrolling through a patients’ scan. The radiologists would eventually get back to me with an interpretation but I figured what the hell. Reading scans killed time and helped prepare me for the next steps. I found myself midscroll, eyes roaming across the screen when a hand fell on my shoulder. 

 

Nothing could stop the deep intake of breath and the way I snapped back. Turning my body I’m met with blue eyes full of concern. This is the part where I introduce to you my only friend in this god forsaken town, Armin. From my first day he’s been there attentive as ever willing to offer advice and help as needed. He’s got a year of experience on me and really I could take all the friends I could get. He stands out among the groups with his shoulder length hair always pulled into a ponytail, fair skin and bright blue eyes. Every shift we work together ends up being exciting and I’d like to think we’ve grown closer. Unfortunately our relationship ends at work seeing that with the amount of hours we work partnered with crazy shifts, well it’s hard to have interactions outside of that. 

 

“Eren, you alright?” Asking a sweet soft voice. 

 

“Just on of those days,” answer, shrugging my shoulders hoping to play it off. 

 

I notice his gaze assessing me, probably trying to figure out if I’m lying or not. He pursed his lips for a moment before speaking. 

 

“If you say so, just know that—“ BEEP BEEP BEEP. His pager going off mid-speech, he throws me a regretful look before taking off to answer the page. 

 

As he walked away I asked myself if I was truly that easy to read?

 

The night passed without a hitch. There were more patients in the emergency room than normal but no complaints came from me. The more I needed to do, the less time I had to think about other things. I found myself relaxing more and around seven am I finally felt comfortable. This, of course, coincided with the end of my shift. 

 

Passing over patients to the next attending and clocking out I found a small smile on my face. I thought to myself, things are going to be ok. 

 

With that thought in mind I walked out of the hospital towards car. Armin walked by my side as we chatted about everything and anything. The sun rising in the distance and if I didn’t get to bed soon I would never be able to fall asleep. 

Armin’s car came up first and he shouted out a simple good night before getting in. 

 

With a roll of my eyes and half-assed wave I made way towards my vehicle. My car, the only red Dodge Charge sat beautifully in the parking lot. Today I was extra happy to see it sitting there because it reminded me that good things can happen. 

 

I’m a few feet a way when I notice something out of place. Sitting underneath a wiper blade is a simple square piece of paper.Sighing deeply, I assumed it was some sort of marketing effort. A began my internal rant on how those types of business advertisements were just a waste of paper considering the majority of the population paid little to no attention to it. 

 

Picking up the white square, it felt heavier and thicker than normal paper.Furrowing my eyebrows as i flipped it over, breath catching in my throat as I stared at a picture. 

 

A picture of a man lying face down on the floor of an alley. The same man from last night. 

 

At the bottom of the paper, in the small portion of white there was a simple message: 

 

_Nothing in life is free._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! :) 
> 
> Let me know your thoughts.. Until next time my lovelies!


	3. A Change Of Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which, Eren thinks she knows what's going to happen, yet is not prepared.

When my mind finally understood what the words meant as a threat, I froze. 

 

I should’ve run or at least felt scared for my life, but instead, it thrilled me to be part of a gambling game such as this. With a simple phrase the unknown person had placed their cards on the table, and I was never one to shy away from a game of cards.

 

At the time, I didn’t know the person, nor did I know how important they would become in my life. All I knew was the person behind the note decided to start playing a game, and I was never one to back down. 

 

One day I would look back on this day and think that it was the moment that it changed everything, and yet I felt no regrets. 

 

I felt my heart start to race, the feeling of a challenge, a bet being made and oh how I loved that thrill. The gamble, and not knowing whether things would go in my favor. I knew that if I played this game, I would play it with everything that I had and nothing less. 

 

Mikasa always said by gambling ways would get me in trouble one day, and maybe today would be the day that happened.

 

* * *

 

Blinking twice, the pain in my eyes subsiding once my eyes remoistened. I realized that I was sitting on the couch in my living room and I concluded that I had been staring at my coffee table for quite some time. Unsure of myself, I checked the time and realized it was close to 10 am, three hours seemingly passed through my fingers and how I spent them I couldn’t say. Fuck, I hated when I went on autopilot. 

 

It happens to everyone, cone moment you’re stepping into your vehicle and the next you’re arriving at your destination. The difference is that it usually ended in that scenario, but for me, it kept going. I could finish up my chores and errands for a day and never even realize that it happened. 

 

This time, the thundering in my chest was not from the thrill but fear. The picture sitting before me, proof that I no longer had the safety of this town and here I was losing myself in thoughts for hours. 

 

Getting up, I ensured that my auto-pilot self-had locked the door upon arrival, which I did. Turning immediately, I opened the closet that was located right by the entrance of my apartment. 

 

Filled to the brim with knick-knacks and other things I couldn’t find a perfect home for, but this time I looked for one item in particular. Pulling a storage box full of stuffed animals off the top shelf, nearly knocking myself out in the process since I refused to grab a stool to help. I rummaged through the box, my fingers grazing the fresh metal that sat in the box. 

 

Closing my fist around the handle of my favorite gun, a single 9mm handgun that had been my companion for various years. The familiar weight was sitting in my palm, as I used my other hand to search for the spare ammo I stashed in the box. 

 

Years ago when life was not on our side, Mikasa suggested that we train ourselves in self-defense. My adopted sister trained in hand-to-combat, a skill she deemed far more useful in life than knowing how to aim and shoot. Mostly she said it because she knew that it pushed my buttons, made me work harder to be more than ‘just point and shoot.’ So you can guarantee that I can shoot almost any target, they always said never bring a knife to a gun fight. I never had the opportunity to show her how great my skill was, which I was grateful for. 

 

Feeling much safer, I shove the box back into the closet, taking the photo and gun with me towards my room. Sleeping may not come quickly, but after being awake for more than 20 hours, my body could no longer handle the exhaustion. Changing quickly, I put on a pair of loose plaid pajama bottoms and just a tank top. Burrowing myself underneath my covers, I let myself fall into a dreamless sleep; the comfort in knowing my trusted weapon lay within arms reach if I needed.

 

 

* * *

 

The thing about waking up during the day is that no matter how restfully you slept, you’d wake up disoriented. Not sure if the limited amount of sunlight meant that dawn was approaching or if dusk was about to fall. Fumbling for my phone that lay sitting on my nightstand I realize that it's closer to 6 pm so really I slept right through the day without any concerns or disturbances. 

 

With a long stretch, I willed the soreness in my muscles away. Working a night shift always seemed to exhaust my body more than any other shift could, but sleeping did me well. When I stood, I tucked the gun into the elastic waistband of my underwear, yet the cold touch of the weapon sent shivers through my spine. Not to mention that it felt that half my ass was falling out because of the mere weight of the gun, never again would I attempt to use elastic as a weapon holder being that I'm not so sure it's going to work well for me right now.

 

Still, I trekked through my apartment and into my kitchen in search of water and gulping down a glass without really looking around. Setting the now empty glass onto the kitchen island, I placed my palms on the counter letting my head and body sag forward. A sigh left my body unwillingly, as I thought of how I would explain my latest dilemma to Mikasa. 

 

At that moment, I felt the weight of my gun being taken from me yet not falling my pant leg, instead of being pulled up. My body responded faster than I could think, turning quickly with the intent of swinging a foot out to hit whoever stood behind me. He held my gun in his right hand, and with a quirk of an eyebrow, he said the one thing that could stop my heart. 

 

"We'd like to talk to you now." 

 

My foot never landed on him, falling a few inches short without the ability to correct my stance I fell backward. The resounding thud was echoing loudly as my head hit the cabinets behind me. Way to make an impression, falling without a cause and giving myself a concussion. 

 

I felt my consciousness fading and nothing to prevent it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait between updates! Medical school has gotten rough and combined with my new obsession with Teen Wolf; I forget to write. 
> 
> I apologize for the short update and hopefully have a new one for you all soon!
> 
> My Tumblr is themartiny18.tumblr.com come visit me and chat :)


	4. An offer of sorts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Eren, receives an offer of sorts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Incredibly not edited because I'm on my iPad and in a corner of Starbucks "studying"

  
I came back to consciousness with a dull thudding spreading over my head. I felt the soft comfort of a mattress below me, but couldn’t remember how I had gotten there. I struggled to force my eyelids open, drowsiness still overfilled my body. I could hear the faint murmur of voices coming in clearer the more I awoke.

“When I asked for you to bring her, I meant awake,” said the deep voice boomed, holding a faint tone of fond exasperation.

“She fell all on her own, I can’t be blamed for her clumsiness,” a male voice responding sharply.

As much as I fought the heaviness in my lids, I felt myself drift back into sleep.

* * *

 

Sometime later, I awoke again and found myself in an empty room. As a doctor I knew damn well that I should stay seated and wait to see if there were any negative effects from my earlier fall. As a person being held by unknown people, well my body and instincts were screaming run; and boy did I run.

Setting my feet on the ground I stood slowly, ensuring that I wasn’t going to topple over with my first step. Once I was sure that I had control of all my limbs, I headed for the door and swung it open. I didn’t know this layout, had no fucking idea of where I would be going so I took a chance and picked the left and went.

My bare feet sounded loudly as they slammed on the tiled floor. I could see the turn at the end of the hallway, signaling that I was that much closer to freedom. That was until I felt myself jerk forward, falling forward.   
Catching myself with my hands was the only thing that prevented me from face planting it and causing a second injury of the day. The sound of soft steps alerted me to the exact cause of my fall.

“You fucking tripped me,” I growled out. Anger in my words.

“You shouldn't have run.” The same voice from my apartment responded.

Seeing no choice, I pushed myself up off the floor and standing to face the man that had turned my world upside down. My features filled with surprise when I realized that not one but two men stood by my side.

Any other time, I could've laughed at the height difference between the two, but now was not the time. The same black haired asshole that caused my fall stood next to a huge bulky blonde man that seemed more amused with situation. I may be wrong but usually a kidnapper would be mad if their target made a run for it.

Instead, he spoke with a gruff voice, while herding me back in the direction of the room I ran from.

“We apologize for our methods of bring you here, but it’s vital that we speak to you.”

Once in the room, I figured why not make myself comfortable, sitting with my legs criss-crossed looking between both men.

“W-what do you want from me?”

“We understood you're the new doctor in town, and that you do your job well.”

“Damn right, I do.” Allowing my mouth to speak out before thinking things clearly, but I refused to allow anyone to belittle my passion and ability to be a physician.

Electing to ignore the snort that came from his companion, the blond many continued on.

“We have an offer for you, you tend to any wounds that me or men acquire no questions asked and in return you will be compensated nicely.”

I know my features were muddled with confusion because I couldn't believe that I heard correctly.

“I already have a job.” Lamely replying for lack of anything better to say while I thought over the words just spoken to me.

“Consider this a second job,” snarky asshole responded without missing a beat.

“I've been offered a position, yet don't know the names of my employers” because the longer I called them by the nicknames I created the more likely I was to spew them out.

A smooth chuckle erupted from hulking blond as gestured to himself. “I am Erwin, and this is my companion Levi.”

“Eren,” I stated with a nod, “but you all already knew that.”

“We'll give you sometime to consider the position.” Erwin kindly offered, as if this wasn't the sketchiest proposition that I had ever received.

“Is there really any choice?” I could feel the anger in me rising, feeling myself backed up into corner with no escape.   
“You always have a choice,” Levi said, but he wasn't making eye contact with me, instead looking directly ahead at the wall across from him.

“How can you be so sure that I won't tell anyone about this conversation, or the fact that you took me from my apartment?”

Levi pushed off the wall, not deeming my question worthy of a response as he walked through the door.

Erwin, started making his way in the same direction only halting at the doorway to look over his shoulder, “Ms. Eren, did you know it's a federal felony to be in possession of an unregistered weapon? You'll be hearing from us soon.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the lack of updates and short chapter, but I figured something was better than nothing. :)

**Author's Note:**

> I has a [Tumblr](http://themartiny18.tumblr.com).. come find me and chat! :D
> 
> My tumblr is not spoiler free for the manga, and is random as hell but still!


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